Becker's Healthcare January 12, 2026
In recent years, a swell of states has adopted laws to lessen the requirements for foreign-trained physicians to join the U.S. workforce.
The laws aim to combat the nation’s growing physician shortage, which is becoming more urgent as patient acuity rises, more physicians approach retirement age and a plethora of other factors. One tactic to staunch the shortage is reducing or eliminating residency requirements for internationally trained medical school graduates to gain employment in the U.S.
Eighteen states have laws allowing internationally trained physicians to gain full licensure, three states grant limited licensure, three other states have pending bills related to limited licensure and another six state legislatures are considering pathway bills in 2026.
International medical graduates account for...
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